Outage tests emergency response

State and local officials across the Northeast said that the emergency response methods they upgraded after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks helped them with the massive power outage in mid-August. The preparations included computer links among state, local and federal emergency response centers.

New York Gov. George Pataki and Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell, among other state and local leaders, praised the emergency response of their public safety agencies. Campbell said her city had activated the same emergency response plans prepared for terrorist incidents.

In New York, the Federal Emergency Management Agency relocated its emergency response center to a facility with backup power, a Homeland Security Department spokeswoman said.